Lydia Amoah

Backlight

Lydia Amoah is a cultural economist and one of the UK’s leading voices on the relationship between culture, consumer behaviour, and commercial growth. She is the award-winning founder of the Black Pound Report, the UK’s most widely recognised study into the spending power and influence of Black, Asian, and multi-ethnic consumers.

She is the CEO of Backlight, a multi-award-winning research and insights agency that helps brands, institutions, and leaders unlock new revenue by translating cultural intelligence into clear, actionable strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of insight and performance, enabling organisations to better understand high-value audiences and turn cultural relevance into measurable business outcomes.

Lydia’s insights have shaped both national and commercial strategy across media, policy, and brand ecosystems. Her work has contributed to a £1 million partnership between Channel 4 and Lloyds Bank supporting Black entrepreneurs, as well as major campaigns including Hearst UK’s Black Beauty Hub and national outdoor activations.

She works closely with senior leaders and executive teams across media, finance, and the creative industries. Her clients include News UK, Channel 4, Capita, Ofcom, Hearst UK, Mail Metro Media, Adwanted Events, and the IPA. She also contributes to academic and leadership spaces, including MBA teaching at the University of Oxford, where she explores how identity and economics shape modern markets and leadership thinking.

As a keynote speaker, Lydia is known for turning complex cultural and economic insight into clear commercial direction. She has spoken at Microsoft at Cannes Lions, HSBC’s Black Female Founders event, Advertising Week Europe, and other leading industry forums. Her sessions equip audiences with practical frameworks to identify growth, improve relevance, and build trust with diverse markets.

She is also the creator of Accelerate, the UK’s first multicultural leadership programme for the creative industries, developed in partnership with Creative Equals.